Floating On Air
by Lark11
Summary: A continuation of the date. Clark takes Lois home, and he is invited in. I incorporated Adele's Make You Feel My Love in this segment. I'm a cornball!


**Floating On Air**

**Part I: Back Home**

Clark set his truck to park and shut off his engine. They had arrived at Lois' apartment. Lois started to say something, but before she could get her words out, Clark jumped out of the truck, walked around to her side and opened the door for her. He held out his hand to help her out. It took Lois a second to realize what he was doing, but she gladly took his hand and climbed out.

As one foot hit the ground, though, she lost her balance. Luckily, Clark's strong arms held her up, but the closeness her clumsiness created made for another awkward moment. She looked up at him, almost afraid to see the seriousness in his eyes.

But he wasn't serious. His eyes were smiling, just like his mouth, and she noticed that he didn't let go of her even when she straightened herself up.

"Well, first the coffee this morning, now this," Lois said, brushing her hair from her face. "Good thing the day's almost over. I might just end up killing myself."

"Maybe I should walk you inside, then," Clark responded. "You have an elevator that could be a death trap."

"It could very well be."

They smiled at each other and then turned to walk into the apartment building. Clark wanted desperately to hold Lois' hand as they walked side by side, but he was afraid that she might have thought it too sophomoric. If he had known that she wanted him to take her hand as desperately as he wanted to, he would have done it. But though he had his moments of self-assuredness that he knew Lois was often caught off-guard by, he still also very much felt like a boy next to the goddess of journalism.

**Part II: Lois' Apartment**

The elevator dinged, and its doors slid open. Lois and Clark stepped out and headed towards Lois' apartment in silence. Every now and then they glanced at each other, but neither knew anything to say that didn't sound trivial.

When they reached Lois' door, they stopped, and Lois turned to face Clark. "Well, thanks for tonight, Smallville. I had a really nice time."

"Me, too," Clark replied.

They shared a heavy silence before Lois flashed a brilliant smile and said cheerfully, "Good night!" She turned and started to put her key into the keyhole when she felt Clark's hand on her arm. She turned back to him, and his face, a mix of seriousness and playfulness, made her heart beat faster than she thought it ever had.

That is, until he leaned in to kiss her, and she felt as if her chest would explode. Lois closed her eyes and moved in to meet Clark's lips, but just as his lips were about to meet hers, she said quite suddenly, her eyes still closed, "Do you want to come in?" _Crap_!

Clark opened his eyes in utter surprise. They met Lois' already opened eyes and smiling lips, the lips he was so close to kissing yet again. "Um…okay," a voice that he didn't seem to recognize as his managed to say.

Lois turned from him to open the door. As she did so, she rolled her eyes at herself. _Smooth, Lois. Real smooth. _

She opened the door to her apartment and walked in, Clark behind her. He shut the door behind him as Lois took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He was just recovering from Lois' sudden rejection of his attempted kiss and couldn't understand why she had refused to kiss him for a second time within a few minutes.

When he entered the apartment, he looked around. This was the place he had actually, successfully kissed her only a couple of days before. He had replayed every detail of that day with her in his head since she had pulled away and told him that maybe he should go. He hadn't argued then. He knew that if they had kept kissing, they wouldn't have stopped. Leave it to Lois Lane to think when he couldn't, but this was ridiculous. _Did she change her mind? Did she think he was a terrible kisser?_ These were the thoughts running through this head when Lois' voice interjected.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thanks, I'm good," Clark replied. He noticed her new couch, something that wasn't there when he had helped her move her things. "Hey, your couch arrived. It looks nice."

"You should see my bed," Lois said. _Shoot_. She hadn't even thought about the implications of her words until they tumbled out, and she and Clark exchanged glances that made both of them blush. "Um, I'm gonna grab a water."

"Yeah, on second thought I'll have one, too," Clark said.

Lois walked to the refrigerator and grabbed two water bottles. "Heads up," she said as she tossed one to Clark, who caught it awkwardly

Both opened their bottles and took a drink, but having found that their mouths were now extremely dry, they both ended up taking one long gulp, Clark emptying his bottle, while Lois got through half of hers.

"Nice," Lois remarked when she noticed Clark draining his water bottle. "Thirstier than you thought?"

"Something like that." He smiled at her for a beat but looked away and noticed the balcony. "Whoa." He set his empty water bottle on the counter and walked out onto the balcony, with Lois following.

The cool night air hit them both as a relief. Clark walked over towards the end of the balcony and peered down. "It's pretty high up."

"Yeah, not exactly great for someone terrified of heights."

"I'm not terrified," Clark said defensively. He looked at the skyline, admiring the expansive view of Metropolis. From where he stood, he could see the Daily Planet's rotating insignia.

Lois made her way towards him and positioned herself by his side. "I've had the habit of coming out here every night after dinner and just looking out. The view is absolutely breath-taking."

Clark exhaled. "Yeah," he replied in agreement. But when Lois turned her head to look at him, she saw that he was no longer looking at the city below. He was looking at her.

She smiled and looked away. Only Clark Kent had the ability to render her speechless. After a moment, she said, "When I was thirteen, the General was stationed in France, and so we spent a couple of days in Paris." She was making her way back towards the glass doors. She leaned on the wall and crossed her arms. "One of his comrades invited us to have dinner at his place. He had this amazing penthouse apartment overlooking the city. I remember after we ate, I ran out to the balcony, and while they were talking, I just sat out there, looking up at the stars and looking at the city below and thinking – hoping – that one day I would end up somewhere as beautiful as that place."

"Well, Metropolis isn't exactly Paris," Clark said, moving closer towards her. He abhorred the (to him) immense gap between them.

"No," she admitted, looking at him. "But it's home."

They smiled at each other for a long moment, but the moment was interrupted by the sound of sirens, followed closely by the clatter of barking dogs.

"Ah, city life," Clark joked.

Lois laughed. "Yeah, I could do without the city sounds sometimes and the occasional smell of dog urine."

"Well, better than roosters crowing and the smell of cows," Clark reminded her.

"The farm wasn't that bad," Lois said sincerely. Though she loved teasing Clark about the Kent farm, she held a respect for him and his life there. She knew it was anything but simple to maintain a home, and for a long time, the Kent farm was her home.

"Please, Lois," Clark replied, "you were miserable."

Lois uncrossed her arms and moved away from the wall. "I was not miserable."

"So you were perfectly happy with the horses and the cows and the chickens?"

"And you of course." Lois caught herself. She had to stop doing that! "I mean, I had you to tease everyday," she recovered. "That was a source of happiness, however minuscule."

Clark nodded, smiling. Lois read too much in the smile, and it made her uncomfortable, so she naturally changed the subject and walked past him. "Sometimes I hear my neighbors playing music. The guy who lives below me constantly plays Puccini. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I find it soothing; until of course the sirens replace the crescendo and the dogs begin to wail, drowning out Mimi's final note. Still, it may not seem like it, but there is a charm to all the city noise."

"What charm is that?" Clark asked, his frown suggesting that he was not yet convinced.

"It makes me feel…" Lois paused, trying to think of the right words. "…less alone." She looked at him and smiled. "Whether it's Puccini's opera, or the couple down the street screaming at each other – sometimes, it's just nice to hear people in a passionate exchange."

Clark was silent, a fixed smile on his face. He adored Lois' moments of revelations. They were so few and far between most of the time; though lately, she had allowed more of them around him. But during these moments, she always managed to touch him. Had she always been this wonderful? Had he missed it this whole time? More and more, he was relieved that they hadn't met at any other time other than when they did, because he was convinced that she had always been this wonderful, that she was only becoming even more so, and that he, Clark Kent, would have been blind to it then as he had been until only recently. He hadn't been ready for her before, but he was more than ready now. _If she would just let me kiss her again!_

Clark looked up at the stars. "You know, for a long time, the farm was a bit lonely for me. It took some getting used to, but now I don't even think about it very much. Only sometimes."

"Well, it must have been difficult," Lois sympathized. "You probably thought about Lana a lot."

"Lois…" Clark started, looking at her.

"It's okay, Smallville. Contrary to what you may think, I can talk about her without wanting to punch you. I don't want you to think that you can't." Lois stared into his eyes with a tenderness that struck at the very core of Clark's heart. "She's part of your past, and I get that."

"I know you do," Clark responded, grateful. He placed a hand on her cheek. "But I don't want you to think for a second that I ever feel lonely at the farm because she's not there anymore. It's not her absence I feel, Lois."

She gave him a slight smile , believing fully in his words and the sincerity in his eyes; but the moment became too serious for Lois Lane. Again, she brightened the mood by widening her smile and told Clark, playfully, "Well, at least you have Shelby."

Clark let his arm drop back down to his side and adopted her tone. "That's true. He's been great. You know, he never hogs the bed."

"Well, I guess that's one thing he can lord over me."

They both shared a laugh. Clark walked back to where he was, closer to the end of the balcony. He stared intently out into nowhere in particular, and to Lois, he looked like he was in deep thought.

In reality, Clark was focusing his super hearing. He wanted to hear something specific. He drowned out the sirens, the dogs, the cars honking. He wanted to hear Puccini's opera. He wanted to hear the lovers' spats. He wanted to hear the things that made Lois Lane feel less alone because at that moment, there with her, always with her, he didn't feel alone at all.

And then he heard it. Music in the distance. The chords from a piano. Beautiful in its simplicity. And he heard the words faintly:

_When the rain  
Is blowing in your face  
And the whole world  
Is on your case  
I could offer you  
A warm embrace  
To make you feel my love_

He turned to Lois. "Lois," he started, holding his hand out to her, "may I have this dance?"

_When the evening shadows  
And the stars appear  
And there is no one there  
To dry your tears  
I could hold you  
For a million years  
To make you feel my love  
_  
Lois gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm no expert, Clark, but don't you generally need music in order to dance?"

Clark didn't relent. "There is. Don't you hear it? It's everywhere."

_I know you  
Haven't made  
Your mind up yet  
But I would never  
Do you wrong  
I've known it  
From the moment  
That we met  
No doubt in my mind  
Where you belong_

Lois crinkled her forehead as if she was trying to hear this ubiquitous music that Clark Kent seemed to hear.

Clark, noticing her struggle, added, "Trust me, Lois."

And she did. She didn't trust anyone more than she trusted Clark, so she placed her hand in his waiting one and allowed him to pull her close to him.

And they danced. This was no awkward, I'll-look-at-everything-but-you dance, because now things were clear. Their feelings were clear, and now, all they could look at was each other.

_I'd go hungry  
I'd go black and blue  
I'd go crawling  
Down the avenue  
No, there's nothing  
That I wouldn't do  
To make you feel my love  
_  
They continued to dance as Clark kept in time with the music he focused his hearing on. One hand was on Lois' waist, while the other held her hand, but eventually, she moved in closer to him. She took away the hand that was in his and wrapped her arms around his neck so that their bodies were pressed against each other. He followed her lead and put both his arms around her waist, and he caught his breath when she laid her chin on his shoulder.

Suddenly, Lois heard a low, rhythmic sound coming from Clark. Clark had caught on to the song's melody and began to hum it quietly to Lois.

Lois couldn't resist smiling. This was the closest she had ever heard Clark Kent sing, and it was for her, to her. Whatever he heard sounded beautiful to Lois. In fact, she thought that if she had to pick any song to dance to at that moment, she would have picked whatever Clark was humming. Not even Whitesnake sounded as good as Clark Kent did humming to a song she couldn't hear; but as she listened, she recognized it, and she thought she was starting to hear it, too.

After a moment, Clark stopped humming and, continuing to dance, pulled slightly away to look at Lois' face again.

_The storms are raging  
On the rolling sea  
And on the highway of regret  
Though winds of change  
Are throwing wild and free  
You ain't seen nothing  
Like me yet_

His eyes glanced at her lips and back to her eyes. She also glanced down at his lips. She was quite proud of herself. It took her an entire forty-eight hours to finally give in to kissing those lips again.

_I could make you happy  
Make your dreams come true  
Nothing that I wouldn't do  
Go to the ends  
Of the Earth for you  
To make you feel my love  
_  
Clark leaned in to kiss her, his eyes remaining open, and Lois, instead of pulling away or speaking at the wrong moment, also leaned in towards Clark. They both closed their eyes just before their lips met for a long, gentle kiss.

Many people think that anticipation feeds desire and that it is the realization of desire that kills it. For Lois and Clark, the intensity of the anticipation was in direct proportion to the intensity of the realization. Because they wanted this with the entirety of their souls, the realization only served to fuel the desire. Conversely, because the desire to realize this moment was immense for both of them, the intense passion of its realization grew with every passing second.

And so this gentle kiss, as it continued, gradually escalated to a more intense one. Clark was kissing her hard, and Lois returned his fervor.

It was with all the strength they could muster to finally break free.

When they did, Clark had lost the music he was focusing on. All his senses were occupied with Lois: her uneven breathing, her lilac scent, her soft skin, her lovely face, the taste of her lips. It was almost too much for him.

They looked at each other's mouths for a long moment, occasionally glancing up to look into each other's eyes.

"I've been wanting to kiss you all night," Clark finally said in a husky voice.

"Me, too," Lois replied. Her voice was also a whisper. They both felt that speaking too loudly would have insulted the powers that allowed this moment to happen, and the last thing they wanted to do was tempt fate.

"Really?" Clark asked, genuinely surprised. "I didn't think you wanted to kiss me again."

Lois pulled back a little. "What made you think that?"

"Lois, I've tried to kiss you like five or six times tonight."

"You only tried two other times, Smallville," she corrected him lovingly. Noticing Clark's raised eyebrows, she added, "Not that I was counting." She pulled away from him entirely and walked towards the end of the balcony.

Clark walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him tenderly. Lois couldn't believe that she was standing on the balcony of her apartment with Clark Kent. More than that, though, she couldn't believe that Clark Kent was holding her as if it was something he did every night. At that moment, she wished that it was.

"Why didn't you let me kiss you before?" he asked after a moment, interrupting her thoughts.

"Because I was scared," Lois replied honestly.

"Of what?" Clark asked.

Lois turned to him and looked into his warm eyes. "I was afraid that if I kissed you again…" she trailed off and looked away from him. Regaining her courage, she looked at him again and continued. "…if I kissed you again, I wouldn't be able to stop."

They looked at each other for a beat, and both had the same idea. They lunged at each other. They didn't know if their lips found each other before their arms did, but suddenly, his arms were protectively, desperately wrapped around her, and she was cupping his face and then running her hands through his hair.

Clark started to trail kisses down Lois' neck. She closed her eyes, her mind completely blurred by the feeling of Clark's lips on her sensitive neck. They were both lost in this explosion of passion. Even though both of them knew better, knew that they were moving too fast, knew that they were getting carried away, their hearts were too invested. They felt like they were floating on air.

_What the_ - Clark's mind snapped back to reality because as he was paying much-needed attention to Lois Lane's neck, he fluttered his eyes open long enough to notice that their feet – his and Lois' – were no longer on the balcony floor. They were floating on air, specifically a few inches off the ground.

Clark abruptly stopped kissing Lois. Noticing the absence of his lips, Lois opened her eyes and looked at him. "What's wrong, Smallville?" she asked.

As she made a move to glance elsewhere besides his face, Clark caught her lips with his again. Lois let out a groan, surprised by Clark's abrupt and fierce kiss.

But as he kissed her, Clark kept one eye open, glancing down. He had a look of consternation his face as if he was willing himself back on solid ground. Eventually, he felt Lois' balcony underneath him, and he pulled back from Lois just as abruptly as he had kissed her.

Lois kept her eyes closed for a second even after Clark pulled away, but she needed that second to muster, "Wow." It was all she was capable of at the moment.

Clark smiled at her. She was adorable, and it pained him knowing what he had to do. "I have to go," he told her reluctantly.

Lois opened her eyes. "What? _Now?_"

"Yes, now." He had to go. He couldn't risk any more inadvertent manifestations of his powers, especially powers he didn't know he had and therefore, didn't know how to control. If they were to continue on the route they were on now, he had no idea what would happen.

"Okay…" She replied reluctantly, but then she added in a more playful tone, not wanting to seem too disappointed, "So you're just gonna kiss and run, Smallville? I didn't think you were the type."

"It's not that, Lois. It's just…" He trailed off, not knowing how to explain himself, trying to find words that were true without revealing too much.

"What?"

He took a deep breath and said gently, "You shouldn't have been the one worried about kissing me and not being able to stop, Lois. I don't think I'll be able to stop."

"Then why did you?" she teased.

Clark looked down. He wanted so much to tell her everything, but he couldn't. Superpowers, being an alien, hovering – these were not exactly first date confessions. When he looked up again and saw Lois' expectant eyes, he realized that he didn't want to lie to this woman, but he couldn't tell her everything, yet. Not yet, so he explained, "Because what happened just now has never happened before." And he knew it was the truth.

"What hasn't?"

He took a step towards her. "This. You. Nothing like you has ever happened to me before. Everything you make me feel – it seems as if it's been going for so long – moments here and there – glances when you're not looking. All of it just kind of snuck up on me, and now, it's _all_ I can feel." Lois could only smile. His words sounded all too familiar to her. "Whenever I'm with you, whenever I kiss you," he continued, "it's like thinking is gone, and all I can do is feel everything. And I didn't think it was possible, but when I'm kissing you, I seem to lose all control."

Lois took a seductive step towards him. "Well, that's okay."

Clark laughed nervously. He wanted her so much, but the memory of looking down and seeing that their feet were off the ground pulled him back to reality. "Lois.." Clark groaned.

"Clark…" she replied in the same tone, leaning in towards him. She saw him clench his jaw in an attempt to resist her, but as much as she wanted him, as much as she loved to tease him, she was in the same mind as he was. As much as she wanted him, what she wanted most was to do this right. She wanted a second date and a third and a fourth. She wanted the romance. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She knew it wasn't the right time, so she pulled back from him and smiled. "Good night, Clark."

Clark smiled at her in relief and took a deep breath. "Good night, Lois." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. He held her gaze for another lingering moment before turning and walking back into the apartment.

Lois remained where she was, watching Clark disappear into her apartment. When she heard the front door closed, she closed her eyes and also took a deep breath. She replayed the kiss, or rather the kisses, in her head, smiling to herself. She opened her eyes again and strolled towards the end of the balcony, a thoughtful expression on her face. She wasn't ready to go back inside, yet. This was her time to collect herself, to reassess the night's events and overanalyze every detail, discovering missteps that she could reprimand herself for.

But when she ran through every detail of the evening, she found that there was nothing she would have changed. For the first time in her life, something had gone perfectly. Sure there was awkwardness, and yes, Clark was right: she had pulled away the two other times he had tried to kiss her. But even those things seemed right, even those clumsy moments, those inarticulate, less than ideal moments were perfect to her because they were all with Clark.

Her thoughts were only interrupted when, looking down from the balcony, she saw him walking out of her building and heading towards his truck. She smiled down at him, willing him to turn around and look up.

As if reading her mind, Clark stopped at the door of his truck and gazed up at her. She could make out a faint smile on his lips, and before she realized what she was doing, she heard a whisper that she barely recognized as hers. "I love you, Clark."

The thought didn't even cross her mind that he could have heard her confession. She hardly heard it.

But he did. Clark's super hearing allowed him a secret he had hoped existed in Lois Lane's heart. And when she whispered those words, he heard them, and something inside him, perhaps this intangible thing called his soul, stirred.

He didn't know when it happened. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment, but he had fallen hopelessly in love with Lois Lane. His whole life he had been so afraid of ending up alone but not because he couldn't love. He knew how to love, thanks to his parents. He was open to loving. It was like he couldn't help it, but he didn't believe anyone could truly love him back, could accept him for who he was and push him to be all he could be. He had never met anyone who challenged him, who made him feel perfectly human by making him recognize his faults and his strengths. Not until lightning struck and a big city girl almost ran him over.

At the time, he had loved Lana, and she pushed him away because, she told him, the world needed him. He knew this, but he needed someone who needed him more, someone willing to share him with the world because life without him was a worse fate. He hadn't been enough for Lana. He finally realized it when she came back. Initially, while she was gone, he had felt sorry for himself. He had placed Lana on a pedestal, believing that she was unselfish in her love for him, believing that she sacrificed her happiness for a greater good. And then it dawned on him that it didn't have to be one or the other. If she truly loved him and truly believed that they were supposed to be together, she would have been willing to stand by him despite, or maybe even because of, his great responsibilities. But she hadn't been. He didn't blame her, because even before he realized that he wasn't enough for Lana Lang, he had slowly discovered while she was away that Lana Lang was not enough for him. If she had been, he would have done everything in his power to make sure they were together. But he hadn't. He thought it was because she had asked him not to come after her. He thought he was simply respecting her wishes. But after awhile, he came to slowly realize that he didn't need her. He didn't love her. And he realized that when he was with her, he was never truly himself. It wasn't all her fault. It was his, too. He had convinced himself that he couldn't be who he really was around her. He remembered his mother saying that maybe it was because, subconsciously, he knew that she wasn't the one. He hadn't admitted it then, but he hadn't denied it, either, and now, more than ever, it was clear that deep down, he always knew that Lana Lang wasn't his soulmate because his soulmate had to be someone who made him feel like his true self.

His soulmate had to be willing to share his destiny, whatever it was, someone strong, someone who could put him in his place when his ego ballooned to an immense size.

He needed Lois Lane. And though Lois did not know his secret, he felt that she was inextricably linked to his destiny. He couldn't explain it, not even if he tried. He didn't have the words for it, so all he did manage to whisper as he looked up at her was, "I love you, Lois." Unless she had a secret of her own, Clark knew she couldn't hear him, but one day, she would.


End file.
